Register to Ride Search Brigade Tasmania 1/15/18 to 1/24/18

The route overlaps the Tasmanian Trail for one day but is otherwise of our creation. It is approximately 675 miles/1086km with 54,000ft/16,460m of climbing ridden in ten days. You need to be able to ride 70miles/115k per day at a spirited pace with few breaks on rolling, varied terrain. Every rider will be given the GPS file well in advance of the ride. The ride is not a loop, as it starts in Hobart and ends in Devonport from which we will take an overnight ferry to Melbourne.

Bike Selection

The Tasmania Brigade will go over asphalt, gravel roads, and broken dirt tracks. I’ll be on an adventure oriented drop bar bike with 27.5 wheels and 47mm tires with a slick center tread and modest side knobs. A ‘cross bike might be underbiking a bit, but we expect the ride to be doable on one with the widest tires that fit, especially if they also have a little bit of tread. A road bike with smaller than 33mm tires is almost certainly going to be too little bike.

Gear

We’ll be rolling ultra light and most of us will have bikepacking soft bags rather than racks and panniers. Panniers can be fine, though. Sometimes the terrain will get rowdy—ruts, babyhead rocks, possibly a teeny bit of singletrack—so make sure your setup can handle that.

The unpredictable weather of Tasmania is legendary so you’ll need to be prepared for everything from days of freezing rain to scorching heat. We don’t care what you ride in, baggy shorts and a t-shirt, road kit, whatever. Most nights we’ll camp—obviously, you’ll need camping gear—sometimes at established campgrounds and sometimes wild camping where appropriate. We’re serious about leaving no trace. One night near the half-way point we’ll stay in the city of Launceston where there will be showers and a bed at a hostel. That may well be the only shower over the ten day trip.

We’ll be eating food on the road at pubs, shops, and grocery stores which we will encounter reasonably frequently. I’m not bringing cooking gear, so for the day and a half span on the west coast away from resupply I’ll be eating cold food. If you like coffee first thing every morning and have to have a hot meal, there’s nothing to stop you from bringing a small stove and pot.

Schedule

15 January 8am Grand Depart from Hobart and first day riding24 January Last Day Riding, evening arrival in Devonport. Overnight ferry to Melbourne.

Riders coming from North America probably have to leave on January 12th or earlier in order to make it to Tasmania in time for an 8am departure on the 15th. We won’t wait for delayed riders or equipment. Fly home January 25th unless you elect to stay longer in Australia on your own.

Cost

Again, Search Brigade is free in the sense that you won’t owe us anything for coming. All of your expenses are your own. By far the biggest expense is the flight to Tassie. The easiest plan will be to fly to Hobart and then fly home from Melbourne. From the USA we’re seeing US$1200-1500, depending on West Coast or East Coast. You’ll likely spend the night before the ride in a hotel or airbnb in Hobart, and that will be US$50-150. The ferry ticket at the end is around US$100 and then extra depending on whether you book a cabin.

We are not in a position to help you make your travel arrangements.

The big ticket items plus your daily food, occasional campground fees, mid-route lodging, beer money and incidentals probably puts the total cost of the trip at around US$1900-US$2100 for riders coming from North America.

To register email searchbrigade@searchandstate.com

—Joe CruzRide Leader, Lead Route DesignerSearch Brigade Tasmania

The Search Brigade is hard

For most, events will test the physical (and mechanical) limits of what's possible on a bicycle.

The Search Brigade is free and open to all

Some events may have a cap on total number of participants for logistical reasons.

The Search Brigade is entirely self supported.

This means, you, your bike, your food, and your shelter. Search and State provides a great deal of planning, ride leaders, transportation, lodging and logistical support that varies by event.

The Search Brigade embraces the unknown and discovery.

We will encounter unplanned challenges and diversions (this really is the whole point).

Registration & More Information: You must register by emailing searchbrigade@searchandstate.com to register